WHy keep birds as pets ?

Stressed Out ?
Talk to a parrot

While singing breeds are still popular, exotic new ones are flying their way here to the hearts of bird-lovers

Birds still fly high on the pet popularity list, but their feathers are changing.

10 to 20 years ago, Singaporeans favoured the Sharma, Oriental White Eye(Mata Puteh), Red Whisker Bulbul(Jambu), China Thrush(Hua Mei) and the Zebra Dove(Merbok).

While these are still popular, exotic new breeds are getting a clawhold among bird-lovers here over the past years.

Colourful finches from Africa, Asia and South America. canaries from Europe and parakeets from Africa, South America, Australia and Europe and parrots from Africa and South America now compete for attention, says Mr Chua Kah Soon of Goodwill Birds Trading.

Finches, parakeets and parrots are the top sellers at this Serangoon North shop. Finches cost from $10 to $60 each while parakeets sell from %50 to more than $100 each. Parrots are even more expensive costing $100 to $1000 each.

Having a bird at home helps one to get rid of stress, he says. "When you come home tired and hear the finches or canaries sing in their cage, you feel relaxed."

"A parrot like the African Grey Parrot and the Yellow Neck Amazon Parrot can even converse with you"

A pet bird is also less expensive to feed. For instance, it costs less than $10 a month to feed a finch.

The monthly cost of feeding a parakeet fruit and mixed- and sunflower-seeds is $15 while a monthly supply of fresh corn, sunflower seeds and fruits for a parrot is $20 at most, he says.

Mr Chua has plans to bring in other exotic birds, like the Macaw and pheasant. He reckons that there will be a demand for them as Singaporeans wants to have birds of high quality.

The macaw costs more than $1000 while the pheasant ranges from $500 to $600 each.

Those who keep birds as a hobby ranges from students, housewives and retirees, to civil servants, bankers, lecturers, doctors and ambassadors.

Mr Chua is confident that there will always be a market for birds here.

"The bird business will not die out, as it is part of the local tradition to keep birds."

HALLS ALIVE WITH MUSIC:

Mrs Janet Lim Hong Eng has something to chirp about - her own 20 member "choir" right at home.

Her pet finches often burst into song when she plays on her Yamaha keyboard at home in Bukit Timah.

"They make different sounds. Some twitter, some sing in harmony while others buzz," says Mrs Lim, a lecturer in her 50s at the National University of Singapore's Centre for English Language and Communication.

"It gives me tremendous joy watching them," she says. "And listening to their music helps me unwind."


Article by Magdalene Lum
The Sunday Times.